site overhaul

So I've been hard at work, revamping the blog lately. Here's a screenshot of it from my iPhone (pardon the blurriness of the image):

The image isn't exact either, it does some weird line thing on the left hand column, but whatever, as long as it sort of represents what I've done, good enough! I think that I'm happy with the way it's turned out so far. I was going with a bit more minimalism and white space. An overall less cluttered look.

What do you think? Does it work?

comments always welcome!

I've decided to move my comments over to disqus

Initially I was hesitant about the move, but after seeing it at work on several blogs and realizing the benefits, I've decided to add it here!

Why? For one simple reason. Disqus makes it super easy to keep track of all your comments and the replies to them, across the interwebs. And frankly my dears, I think that rocks.

I love not having to remember to check back on a blog, because frankly, I never remember. When I use disqus, the response just shows up in my inbox, prompting me to go check.

I feel like this system really encourages people (who are willing to sign in via whatever service works best for them) to participate more in blog discussions. Always a good thing if you ask me!

The one catch?

If you want to comment, you have to click on the actual blog post in order to see the comment option (and it takes a few moments to load).

my new love: pinterest

Seriously. I love pinterest. It’s like the best bookmarking site ever because it’s all visual and lets me grab the image and link to the exact thing on the page that I was attracted to.

In fact, I’ve gone a little pinterest crazy:



But really, it’s so much fun and such a convenient way of recording things you love. You should try it!

guest blogger at Campfire Chic

I while back (way back in Oct), Kam from Campfire Chic encouraged her readers to get out there and start writing guest blog posts. I thought her points made a lot of sense, so I decided to give it a go!

So without further ado: my very first guest blog post, a star origami garland tutorial is up at her site.

To add more excitement to mix... she's hosting a giveaway to go with it! Go check it out!

etsy treasury love

Yay, a Montreal based etsy treasury featuring a version of  my double happiness cranes!

5 confessions of a messy crafter

A recent podcast about being your more authentic self on the web from SisterDiane’s CraftyPod Podcast, got me to thinking about the ways that we represent ourselves online or more specifically the ways that I represent myself online.

Aside from discussing wedding planning woes or political rants, I think that I try  to keep my posts positive on this blog. To be fair, part of the reason for my reticence to go into the more negative sides of my daily life or crafting world has less to do with wanting to maintain a professional persona on the web and more to do with being aware of how certain members of my husband’s family would feel about discussions about the more private elements of my life.

And while I’m sure that the podcast wasn’t advocating for full emotional disclosure on our blogs, I can definitely identify with the issues that arise from the fact that so many blogs can end up making us feel like the blogger in question’s life is productive and perfect in ways that our own will never be.

I read these blogs and I end up wondering, “how the hell do they find the time to do it all?” And I think the answer is, that they don’t show the stress or breakdowns, or inside the craft room or office.

So without further ado, let me draw back the curtain:

1. This is my craft room on an average day (sometimes it looks worse)!

Yeah, my husband wasn’t joking when he made the comment about the craft bomb, aka Hurricanus Craftis, in his guest post about the perils of a crafty partner. To add to the offense, I haven’t mopped the floor in ages and it only gets swept when my husband ventures bravely forth to do so. (He spoils me… or just can’t stand my slovenly ways—either way, it’s win-win for me)!

2. I have a 10 foot list of things to do, but in reality I may only complete a few of those intended projects. Case in point: wedding scrapbook. 7 pages is enough to get a sense of the day, isn’t it?

3. I can be a real cranky bitch if you interrupt me when I’m in the midst of crafting. Yup. And don’t even try to talk to me when I’m focused on a craft project, I will literally ignore you unless I want to take a break, which of course wreaks havoc on my marriage, my communications with my brother, and my friendship/social life!

4. I never really read instructions all the way through. And when I knit, I never check gauge. Never. Ever. I’m a teacher who never listens completely to instructions and even though I know it makes a difference, just can’t be bothered!

5. I rarely make things for others. That’s right. I’m selfish. But I’m working on it and admitting it is half the battle, isn’t it? Right?

thanksgiving garland of gratitude (to adapt for other holidays)?

 

 

While the Canadian Thanksgiving is long past, I like this idea of creating a festive fall garland of things we’re grateful for, courtesy of a guest post by SimplyModernMom on the blog, MartaWrites (click on last link to go directly to the tutorial).

Thinking of ways I could adapt this to be more appropriate for Yule time. Maybe more red and green? Holly instead of maple?

meditations on fall hibernations

I’m not sure if it’s just because it’s fall and things are starting to get colder, but I’ve been feeling very introspective lately. Hell, correction. I know it’s because it’s fall. This is a yearly ritual for me. I start getting colder and so I start turning inwards.

I don’t go out as much, I bundle up and read more. I watch more movies. The big difference is that this year, I’m doing a lot more crafting than I used to do while watching said movies. From origami stars (I’ve folded WAY too many of them now) to crocheting

In between all of this hibernation, I’ve taken up meditating. I’ve meant to do this for years, but now I’m actually doing it EVERY morning. Craziness. But here’s the thing… you’d think that all this meditation would make me more Zen, but it’s not. Not at all!

My only hope is that, with more time, my Zen-like self will emerge (and that my cat will learn that I’m not her personal jungle gym while doing said meditation).

It’s funny… in an amongst all this meditation, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m far too scattered and need to narrow down my focus on to one or five goals. I’ve purged my google reader down so that I’m not overwhelmed by a list of things to do and try anymore (you know, so that that craft list isn’t so large that I never actually do anything). I’ve started blogging less, which is ironic because I’m actually full of thoughts right now but lack the desire to carve out the time to finesse my ideas into sentences that make sense!

All my meditations have lead me to the conclusion that I need to stand back and re-assess what my goals are for this space, for crafting, for what I want to do about having an etsy business vs in person craft fairs. Because for all that blogland tends to represent the crafting world in a positive light full of productivity and creation, I just don’t have enough hours in the day to get it all done.

And I’m ok with that. But in the meantime, I need to figure out what projects I do want to complete and which I don’t. Which are investments that reward me and that pay off (literally and spiritually). I’m not a niche artisan, nor do I want to be, but I do recognize that if I want to grow a crafty business, I need to focus my energies a bit more in order to create a business that prospers. But at this point, as I enter hibernation mode, I find myself wondering if this is really what I want anymore. Do I want to have a handmade business or do I just want to craft for the sake of crafting? Am I selling items in order to justify my crafting expenses, or am I doing it so that I can share the ideas? What motivates me when it comes to art?

I’m not sure that I know the answers to these questions right now. I guess it’s back to the meditation mat for me.

share the blog love: my very own blog button!

Kam from Campfire Chic has been on fire lately with all her helpful better blogging tips and I decided to take her good advice and run with it!

So without further ado, I introduce you to my latest blog improvement: my very own blog button:

<a href="http://lotustreecrafts.com" target=”_blank”><img alt=”lotus tree crafts” src=”http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1200/5143282365_dfa29b61e5_m.jpg“ /></a>

It took me WAY too long to figure out how to do it, but it shouldn't have because it was a very simple template. (Turns out that when I was copying it from word, blogger was adding extra " " to my html... once I realized that, it worked like a charm)!

So if you want your very own blog button to spread the blog love, visit Kam here and steal her code...

paper flower gift decoration

I like this idea, courtesy of bystephanielynn.  I’ve seen it before, but I liked the added element of the letter and leaves that make it look that much more polished!

origami ornament giveaway

Christmas is around the corner, believe it or not and I’m starting to think about ways to spread the holiday cheer (yes, already) and have decided to offer an origami ornament giveaway.

Interested? Of course you are! Who isn’t interested in free stuff!?

I’ll give you up to 3 tries (third time is the charm after all) to win your own ornament, here’s how (there’s always a catch!):

Main entry: Visit my etsy shop and then leave a comment letting me know which ornament you like the most (colour, style, etc) . Please make sure if you’re not using blogger, to leave me an email/blog link, etc so that I can track you down afterwards! 

for extra entries: 

Follow the blog publicly via Google Friend connect (if you already do… just drop me a comment and let me know) or Facebook or Twitter

or/and

Tweet or blog about the giveaway (send me a link or include an @lotustreecrafts tag)
Giveaway will end on Nov 27th 2010. I will use random.org to pick the winning number, notify the winner and announce it on my blog. If the winner does not respond within 48hrs, I will choose another winner and will announce it again in my blog.

Good luck to everyone and thanks for playing along!

NOTE : Please remember to include some way of me contacting you if you win.

small art penpal faeries

I joined in on a small art exchange hosted by Kira over at journal.girl. It's been a rather hectic week and I admit to falling a bit behind in the delivery aspect... it's only going to get mailed tomorrow (I'm really sorry but it's been a week of overtime and crazy work schedules).

Anyways... here's some sneak peaks of what I sent off:

the art project, 6x6 inches

envelope art

a little bit of inspiration on the wrapping

and more envelope art!

I love these little projects that bring the internet a little closer together!

branding: what I hate about it

All over the internet you'll find guides telling you that in order to promote you blog/business, online identity you need to master the secret of modelling yourself into a brand. And it drives me nuts. I don't aspire to be a brand in real life, so why must I aspire to be a brand online in order to attract attention?

Honestly?

Maybe this seems like a naive questions but it actually strikes me as something of a paradox in advice. I should be me, but packaged in a shiny little box, all tied up with a pretty ribbon, in order to be a marketable project.

When did we start thinking in terms of selling ourselves. I grew up believing selling yourself = selling out. So it sort of frightens me to see how this seems to be the status quo now.

Companies sell brand/lifestyle identity. Now bloggers are selling it. Whatever happened to embracing our multilayered, complicated, fascinating selves? Because I don't know about you, but I am many things beyond creator of some origami ornaments.

For instance, sometimes (often) I am a ranter.
Sometimes I exude pure Pollyanna-esque joy
Other times I wallow in depression and won't leave the house except for work

But I do always try to undermine the myth that we must be miserable in order for our art to thrive (I hate that narrative/identity)

I use big words, but I swear like nobody's business. How do I brand that?

I like literature and think reading rocks. But I read on an iKindle because honestly, well even though I like the feel of a good book... my phone weighs less and carries more, which leaves more room in my purse for other things, like yoga pants and lunch, and a lot of journals that I write in throughout the day.

What brand is that?

I like paper. But I also like paint, and photography. And other things that don't start with a P. But mostly, I'm a little bit of Crafty A.D.D. I have a list 10 feet long of things that I want to do, and maybe only a foot of them will ever really get done!

Sometimes I wanna write sloppy and talk about how great the new season of Being Erica is going to be!

I know I should use bit.ly and track all my links... but honestly, I'm way too lazy for that shit!

I want to write about what inspires me, when it inspires me. Over the summer it was crafty stuff and canning. Before that, politics. Now it's work and spirituality. But I like art, so I'll probably link it all together.

I just can't guarantee that there will ever be a Marya/Lotus Tree Craft brand. Because I'm a complicated, evolving, dynamic being and I think that should be reflected on my blog. So when I'm interested in art, I'll write about it. When I'm jonesing to bake, I'm gonna bake people. And when the world seems wrong and I need to vent, well nothing's ever stopped me before, so I'm certainly not going to stop now.

I just wish people would stop talking about branding and start talking about authenticity and living a life that allows us the space to explore and create and develop into our bestest self.

food for thought on racism, anti-semitism, and anti-Muslim sentiment

I'm in a more pensive mood lately. Maybe it's in the air... maybe it's astrology, maybe it's converging Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish holidays. I don't know, but I'm a thinking a lot lately...

And this post is right up my alley today. I couldn't agree more with how scary the rise of anti-Islam/Muslim sentiment is becoming in the world. And while I never made the link myself to anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, and the scary places that leads to, I believe she's right in drawing the link and that's a very very terrifying thought.

what blogging means to me

I was reading the latest instalment of Somerset Life and there are a bunch of articles in it about blogging and what it means to the writers. As I read their comments, I was struck by the profound significance that blogging has had in my life over the past years.

I didn’t start this blog with the intention of it ever being a craft blog. In fact, truth be told, my very first post, way back when in 2005, on livejournal, was about venturing into the world of online dating, post break, as a means to move on from a broken heart. The entire start was really meant to document the (mis)adventures I had in the dating world. After reading the magazine, I went back and reread those posts (they’re private, you won’t find them on the old blog).

Then I morphed into constantly talking about my graduate thesis. (I wrote about sonnets from India, btw, you know, in case you were curious). Aw thesis woes… how I don’t miss you!

Next up: weddings

When I moved this blog over to blogger, I initially started writing about social issues, weddings, and green/vegetarian living.

So I’m not exactly sure how I ended up here, writing about craft all the time. But I’ve gone from blogging for family and friends, to blogging for myself, to blogging for select friends, to blogging to a larger community, very slowly over 5 years.

Some blogs explode in less than a year. Mine has never exploded, and yet, in recent months, there has been a marked upswing in comments, views, and readers. Perhaps it’s because I’ve found my niche? Perhaps my social issue rants just didn’t appeal? Gee I wonder why?

Anyways, as I started to experience this upswing, I’ve also started to feel very differently about blogging. I’m starting to make connections more, and as I come out of my shell and comment on others’ blogs, I find myself engaging in a dialogue online with others. And it’s been fantastic. I dig it. This September will mark 5 years in blogging for me) and I can’t help but be excited about where blogging has begun to take me, and love the archive of my life that I’ve created to look back on over the years. I really have learned a lot, commemorated so many moments, learned so much, and met amazing people, all from blogging.

Here’s to another 5 years!